Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Seared Scallops

Nothing tastes more like fall in Canada than butternut squash soup made with fresh vegetables and all your favourite warm spices. Seared Canadian scallops are the perfect addition, with their rich, nutty flavour and creamy texture. It’ll make you wish fall would never end.

Prep time:

15 minutes
Cook time:

50 minutes
Makes:

6 servings

Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash (8 cups), peeled, chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 carrots (2 cups), peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 medium onions, cut into 1-inch wedges
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp cinnamon
⅛ tsp cayenne
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp pepper
2½ tsp (15 g) salt, divided
¼ cup + 1 tbsp (78 ml) olive oil, divided
1 small garlic head
1 tbsp (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
4 cups (1 L) vegetable broth
320g (about 12) Canadian scallops
¼ cup butter (63 ml), divided
12 fresh sage leaves
Garnish:
Pumpkin seeds, toasted

Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C) degrees.
In a large bowl, add squash, carrots, onions, thyme, spices, and 2 tsp salt. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat, then spread onto a baking sheet.
Cut the top off a small garlic head and place on aluminum foil. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and wrap foil, enclosing garlic.
Add garlic to baking sheet with vegetables. Roast in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until soft and caramelized, stirring halfway through.
Remove from oven and add 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar to the pan, stirring vegetables. Set aside and let cook for a few minutes.
Open foil packet and squeeze cooled garlic cloves into vegetables. In batches, add roasted vegetables to a blender with vegetable broth and puree until smooth.
Add to a large stockpot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once hot, turn off heat and set aside to serve.

For scallops:

Pat scallops dry of excess moisture and season with ½ tsp salt.
In a frying pan over medium heat, heat 2 tbsp butter until melted and bubbling. Add sage leaves and lightly fry; 2–3 minutes per side. Remove and set aside on paper towel.
Add an additional 2 tbsp butter to pan. In batches, sear scallops in brown butter; about 3 minutes per side. Be careful to not let the butter burn, and don’t crowd the pan.

To Assemble:

Ladle 1½ cups roasted squash soup into bowls. Top with scallops (about 3 per person), and garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds and crispy sage.

Variations: Top the butternut squash soup with seared cod, halibut, Pacific hake, or any firm white fish instead of the scallops.
Frozen butternut squash can be used; note that the roasting time may be slightly faster as the cubes tend to be smaller. Ensure that the other vegetables roasting on the same pan are cut to a similar size for even roasting.